The EU wants more cash (a lot of it for defence and security). Here's how it plans to get it.
Ireland has assumed the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, placing it in a central role to negotiate the next seven-year Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). The negotiations are expected to be contentious as member states debate budget priorities, particularly regarding defense and security funding.
Why it matters
The MFF determines the EU's financial priorities for 2028-2034, and Ireland's role as mediator will influence the bloc's economic and security trajectory.
FOR A LOT of people, Ireland holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Union may seem irrelevant and inconsequential to our day-to-day lives.
The last two weeks saw a lot of pomp and ceremony as the six-month stint was kicked off with events in both Dublin and Cork, and in the main the only impact they had on ordinary people in Ireland was via traffic disruptions.
But how the Irish government operates over the next six months will have a lasting impact, not just in Ireland but on EU citizens as a whole.
Specifically in terms of how it brokers the EU’s next long-term budget.
The EU runs on a system where it plans a budget, known as the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), for the entire bloc on a seven-year basis.
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